Abstract
In 1977 our youngest child was born with a life-threatening, heart defect. For the first 18 months of life, until corrective surgery, family relationships were redefined as responses to specific and immediate needs of that son. After surgery, family behaviors remained adapted for the requirements of living with a handicapped person. This article is an examination of the acquired culture thus imposed upon family, friends and associates, and is divided into three sections: an overview of communication and culture, identifying the role of intercultural analysis to this problem area; an analysis of eight cultural variables identified by Porter and Samovar as especially relevant to communication behaviors; and, a summary and conclusion section. The variables of the acquired culture are examined through direct observations and analyses to explore the characteristics of a large cultural grouping -- those persons who find their lives permanently and significantly altered by the major physical handicap of a member of the immediate family. Hopefully this examination offers insight into the communication-related factors of an acquired, imposed, or adopted cultural grouping such as the handicapped culture.
Journal Title
Iowa Journal of Speech Communication
Volume
23
Issue
1
First Page
29
Last Page
36
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Underwood, Willard A. and Underwood, Janice M.
(1991)
"The Seriously Ill Child: A Case Study of Communication Change in an Acquired Culture,"
Iowa Journal of Communication: Vol. 23:
No.
1, Article 6.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/ijc/vol23/iss1/6
Copyright
©1991 Iowa Communication Association
